CAN SEQUINS BE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY?

Any sequinned piece you buy on the high street will have been made from plastics such as PVC. This means that even if they’re recycled, fossil fuel extraction is needed to create them. In order to make them flexible and sparkly, toxic chemicals including carcinogens and hormone disruptors are used. Plus, as much as 33 per cent of the material is wasted through the process of punching out those circles into the sequins.

It’s also worth remembering that sequins are prone to falling off garments, and since they are plastic, this means they will be littering landfill or the sea for thousands of years.

However, designer Elissa Brunato has developed the world’s first plant-based type, the Bio Iridescent Sequin. Using a compostable cellulose derived from trees, its structure refracts light without the need for chemicals. Last year, US designer Phillip Lim teamed up with Charlotte Mccurdy, an industrial researcher, to create a gown made from bioplastic algae fronds.

But if you can’t resist sequins, for a more sustainable option try second-hand garments (as a party perennial, there is always plenty of choice), air rather than wash, and keep wearing for years to come. Hannah Rochell, sustainable fashion writer